The present invention is concerned with improvements in collapsible and portable furniture of simple, durable, quality construction which may be easily and quickly set up, and similarly, quickly and easily collapsed to minimal size to satisfy the needs of the average user, including campers, charities, emergency personnel, and the like. In particular, the present invention is directed to a collapsible and portable cot structure that can quickly and easily be set-up for use, and quickly and easily broken down to a compact bundle for convenient transport and storage.
A collapsible and portable cot structure, commonly known as a military cot, is well known in the art. The military cot is ideal for transient uses, such as for camping, temporary accommodations, and military uses, because it is generally made of light-weight material for easy transportation, and can be broken down, transported, stored and set-up as needed. Such cots have also been traditionally used in situations where numerous cots are needed in one place, such as for disaster relief efforts, and further where numerous cots are needed to be quickly set-up to accommodate large crowds of people.
Common portable cot designs generally comprise a frame supported by a plurality of folding legs pivotally mounted thereunder. When stored, the legs and frame are folded to a bundled condition. To use the cot, the user must set up the cot by unfolding the frame and the legs. Once set up, the user lays on a piece of fabric provided on the frame that is generally held taut by the frame once the frame and legs have been fully unfolded. Prior art military cot designs generally include end rails forming part of the set-up frame that are separated from the frame when the cot is broken down. During set-up, the end rails are slid through sleeves in the fabric and locked into place on side rails defining the footprint of the frame. In order to break down the cot, the end rails must be disengaged from the side rails before the cot can be collapsed. It is often very difficult to lock the end rails into place for proper set-up of the cot, and it is often similarly difficult to disengage the end rails from the side rails to break down the cot after use, especially since the end rails are typically keeping the cot fabric taut, and increased counterforce is required to overcome the tautness of the fabric to disengage the end rails. Quick and easy set-up and break down of collapsible and portable cots is highly desired, especially in disaster relief situations. In such situations, however, cots are often set-up by volunteers who commonly are senior citizens, and set-up and breakdown of prior art military cots have proven too difficult and time consuming.
The removable end rails of the prior art military cot design have also posed problems during storage of such collapsible and portable cots. As noted, the end rails must be disengaged and removed from the side rails in order to break down the cot. After the cot has been folded into a bundle, the end rails must be stored with the bundled cot. In disaster relief efforts, one may need to account for hundreds or thousands of cots, and the end rails often get separated from the bundled cots and occasionally lost. Set-up of the cots may be consequently delayed when a bundle does not include the end rails. Moreover, if the cots are set-up without the end rails, the cots are not safe, since the rigid end rails act as a means to maintain the cot in a set-up condition, especially when the user's weight presses down on the fabric. Without the end rails, an adequate means of locking the frame in a set-up condition is required to prevent the cot from buckling or collapsing during use and heretofore, no such means have been developed for a military cot.
Additionally, the rigid end rails of the prior art military cot design can also increase discomfort during use of the cot, especially where a user may have to rest his or her head and/or legs directly on an end rail.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a new and improved portable and collapsible cot structure that overcomes the problems and drawbacks associated with prior art collapsible cots. Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a cot structure designed to be collapsed into a minimally-sized bundle for convenient transport and storage, but which can also be quickly and easily set-up without compromising safety, consuming too much time, or requiring undue effort.